NYWIFT Muse Awards. Red Carpet Talk and Festival Strategy

I attended the NYWIFT Muse Awards in New York City, and I had one of those industry moments that reminds you why community matters.

On the red carpet, Donna Drake interviewed both me and Lauren Concar Sheehy, the Executive Director of the Garden State Film Festival. It was a quick interview, but it captured something I’m proud of. Two Jersey women doing the work, building platforms, and staying in the room long enough to make it count.

NYWIFT’s Muse Awards is a big-room event for a reason. The honorees list this year was stacked, spanning film, television, journalism, and sports media, with major names like Audra McDonald and Gwyneth Paltrow recognized alongside other leaders and changemakers.

What the Muse Awards represents

It’s easy to dismiss an awards luncheon as “industry pageantry” until you’re in the room and you feel the signal underneath it.

NYWIFT doesn’t just celebrate individual careers. It spotlights what’s possible when women have access to visibility, leadership, and real professional networks. It’s one of those rooms where you’re reminded that careers are built through relationships, repetition, and reputation, not just talent.

Why this mattered to me and to GSFF

Standing there with Lauren felt full-circle.

Garden State Film Festival has always been about platform. About creating real screening opportunities. About giving filmmakers a place to be seen, meet their audience, and feel momentum in their bones. NYWIFT is another version of that same mission, from a different angle. A room that makes women more visible and more connected, which is how doors open.

Final thought

A festival, an awards luncheon, a red carpet interview. They’re different formats, but the same principle applies.

Visibility compounds when you keep showing up in the right rooms.

Watch the interview HERE. 

Submit your film to the Garden State Film Festival HERE.